What Is It Like to Be Blind?

There are thousands of blind people in our country, and there are hundreds of thousands of them around the world. One can simply close his eyes in order to imagine what it is like to be blind. Such experiment is really the best way to understand how blind people feel and what they have to face in their daily life. The feelings I could experience after spending one hour with closed eyes touched me deeply. For some first minutes I was able only to make some slow and awkward movements, because I was quite scared of coming against the things around me.Certainly, I got used to the environment soon, but it was still difficult to cope with the situation and decide, what to do. Then, I got a new angle on the issue. What about career, accomplishments, love, success, or hope? Suddenly, I realized how helpless and apathetic the blind can feel. I tried to walk around my house and even came out of it, but I constantly felt stressed and very uncomfortable. I could experience how hard it must be fo r blind people to perform their daily routines without meaningful help of a sighted guide.Besides, it became clear to me that it takes more time and efforts of the blind to perform simple actions and operations, like turning on the oven or looking for the remote control, etc. Finally, I understood that, actually, the blind can not even do and enjoy many absolutely usual things we do and enjoy every day. They can not fully enjoy TV shows and movies like we can, can not read or surf Internet as fast as we can, and so on. Certainly, nowadays there are many technological solutions, which help blind people to read and write, or use computer, or stay organized, but it is still very complicated, I suppose.Therefore, this experiment helped me to experience some difficulties of the blind and taste the effects of failures they can face. Certainly, within the time such people get adapted to their disability and learn what they can and what they can not do. But this is really hard, and I only w ish all blind people to be strong, find their support and inspiration, and always use the power of their imagination in order to picture this world in bright and beautiful colors. Bibliography: †¢ â€Å"What Is It Like to Be Blind? † Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Chldren. Destra Business. 2007. 23 May 2007 .

Relationship Dynamics in The Perks of Being a Wallflower Essay

â€Å"My life is an afterschool special.† These words, spoken by the character, Patrick, summarize the dynamics of the relationships portrayed in the movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The movie is a coming-of-age story about Charlie, a boy without any friends, as he enters his first year of high school. While the movie is geared toward young adults, the message portrayed about relationships touches everyone: We accept the love we think we deserve. In the movie, Charlie has a crush on a fun-loving, party-girl, senior, Sam, who is already dating an older boy in college. Though they become close friends and share intimate experiences and feelings with each other, Charlie never asks Sam out. see more:reaction paper about earthquake The movie upholds traditional high school relationship stereotypes from the Sadie Hawkins dance to prom photo shoots but it also illuminates the uniqueness of every close intimate relationship. It is best described by Charlie when he says, â€Å"I know someday our pictures will become old photographs,† like how a moment captured on camera can be seen but never experienced the same way again. Through the dynamics of Sam and Charlie’s relationship, I will show how The Perks of Being a Wallflower depicts a genuine, true love story that represents universal elements everyone experiences in close relationships. Before his first day of high school, Charlie writes, â€Å"I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that can be.† He begins his first day alone, eating by himself in the cafeteria, never raising his hand in class, and keeping his head ducked down in the hallways. One night he decides to go to a high school football game, where he first meets Sam and her stepbrother, Patrick. Together, they watch their school football team win the game and Sam and Patrick invite Charlie to the diner with them afterwards where they talk about their favorite music and what they want to be when they grow up. This act of sharing positive experiences together that benefits the progression of a relationship is called capitalization (Reiss, Carmichael, Caprariello, Tsai, Rodriguez & Maniaci, 2010). Sam and Patrick share the experience of Charlie’s first party, his first school dance, and even the first time he gets high. The most theatrical example of capitalization in the movie is when the three friends are driving home and the song, â€Å"Heroes† by David Bowie comes on the radio and Sam demands that Patrick drive through the Fort Pitt Tunnel so she can stand in the back of the pickup truck while blasting the song over the radio. Charlie is so stricken by the feeling of belonging that he looks at Patrick and says, â€Å"I feel infinite.† Sam and Charlie become closer when they offer each other the comfort of knowing that they are not alone. Their relationship grows even deeper when they learn that they can share their experiences and feelings with each other without being rejected. This happens the first time at Charlie’s first high school party. Charlie, while he is stoned, confesses to Sam that his only friend, Michael, shot himself last spring. Sam shares what Charlie told her with Patrick and they later toast Charlie at the party in order to welcome him as their new friend in front of everyone. Charlie looks as if he is about to cry because for the first time, he feels like he belongs somewhere. As their intimacy progresses, Charlie demonstrates his affections for Sam by giving her gifts and offering displays of affection known as maintenance behaviors in relationships (Stafford, 2003). For example, he makes her a mixed tape themed after the night that they drove through the tunnel together even though he couldn’t find the special song that made them feel â€Å"infinite.† Charlie also offers to help Sam study for the next SATs after he sees how disappointed she is when she receives her scores. Charlie’s self-disclosure and efforts to display affection encourages Sam to share the more private parts of her life without fearing she will be rejected by him. Sam’s moment of self-disclosure is after the Christmas party, when she invites Charlie up to her room for the first time to give him a thank-you present for helping her study for the SATs. On her desk is an old typewriter with a bow for Charlie, because she knows that Charlie wants to be a writer s omeday. When Charlie sees the gift on her desk, he says with disbelief, â€Å"You got me a present?† The glow of happiness off of Charlie’s face demonstrates the physiological reaction of expressing gratitude in relationships. Acts of gratitude are known to significantly increase relationship satisfaction (Demoss, 2004). Not only does Sam display gratitude towards Charlie, but she lets him into her room, her private space where none of the other party guests had been invited to go. In a moment of closeness, after Charlie confesses he’s never kissed a girl, Sam shares with Charlie that her first kiss was when her dad’s boss molested her at the age of ten. Charlie responds with validation, telling her that the same thing happened to his aunt Helen and that she turned her life around. When Sam comments that his aunt must have been a great woman, Charlie responds, â€Å"She was my favorite person in the world, until now.† Sam, overwhelmed with tears, tells Charlie that she knows that he knows she has a boyfriend, but she wants to make sure that the first person that kisses him, loves him. Charlie nods, and Sam leans in and kisses him. For the first time she says, â€Å"I love you, Charlie.† And he responds, â€Å"I love you too.† Charlie and Sam do not become a couple, but they continue to teach each other that they are deserving of genuine love. The greater the impact close relationships have on one’s self-image, the greater satisfaction one will receive from the relationship (Mattingly, Oswald, Clark, 2011). Sam and Charlie do this by perpetuating a positive self-image of each other, increasing the happiness they receive from spending time together. Sam does this for Charlie by acknowledging that he is not crazy and that he is someone worth being friends with. Charlie does this for Sam by encouraging her to apply to colleges and offering the emotional support that he believes in her. Sam and Charlie have a genuine concern for each other’s well being. These compassionate, supportive goals are another example of how responsive they are to each others’ needs (Conovello & Crocker, 2011). Charlie doesn’t just give Sam his most beloved gift because he thinks she’s pretty and wants her to like him. He gives her the Beatles record his deceased aunt Helen left him because he truly cares about her, and he wants her to be happy. It is for the same reason Sam gives Charlie his first kiss. They have goals to meet the needs of each other. However, like all individuals and relationships, Sam and Charlie are not perfect. Despite the genuine love and affection Charlie offers her, Sam continues to date her boyfriend who is cheating on her, and Charlie continues to date Sam’s friend, Mary Elizabeth, even though he doesn’t have romantic feelings for her. After Sam finally dumps her boyfriend and Charlie is no longer dating Mary Elizabeth, Sam confronts Charlie and asks him why he had never asked her out. Charlie responds that he didn’t think she wanted him to and that he just wanted her to be happy. Sam replies, â€Å"You can’t just put everyone’s lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love†¦I don’t want to be someone’s crush, I want people to like the real me.† Charlie fidgets nervously and after a long pause he tells Sam, â€Å"I know who you are,† and he tells her that she’s beautiful and he kisses her. This moment suggests that the impact their relationship had on their self-esteem, brought them both to a point where they could accept the love that the other thought they deserved. Despite all the efforts Sam and Charlie made towards the intimacy of their relationship, the movie does not end happily ever after. The next day Sam leaves for college, and the intimate sexual experience between Charlie and Sam triggered Charlie to have flashbacks of his aunt Helen molesting him as a child and he is hospitalized in a psychiatric ward. Charlie is left alone wondering how it is possible to be happy and sad at the same time and how someone he loved and idolized like his aunt Helen could have done something that hurt him so badly. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a love story that is told the way Sam described rock love ballads to Charlie: both kitschy and brilliant. The story uses the general setting of stereotypical high school drama to portray the human experience of close relationships. Charlie experiences the euphoria of first love and also the pain of devastating heartbreak. And just like old photographs, whether the setting was a high school dance or a social at a retirement home, the relationships in this movie are relatable to anyone who views them, while also existing as independent unique experiences that will never be lived the same way twice. Even though the movie doesn’t end with Charlie and Sam as a happy couple, it still ends with an uplifting scene reuniting Charlie, Sam, and her brother, Patrick. Charlie is standing in the back of Sam’s pickup truck while they drive through the Fort Pitt Tunnel and his voice narrates, â€Å"I know these will all be stories someday and our pictures will become old photographs, but right now, this is happening.† He acknowledges that the experience of human relationships is something that everyone will experience and that all of the moments shared will become memories, but Charlie shows that the energy that comes from love lives in the moment where you feel like you are the only one who has ever experienced it before. â€Å"That one moment†¦when you’re listening to that song on that drive with the people you love most in this world†¦I swear, we are infinite.† References Canvello, A., & Crocker, J. (2011). Interpersonal goals, others’ regard for the self, and self-esteem: The paradoxical consequences of self-image and compassionate goals. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 422-434. Demoss, Y. (2004). Brief interventions and resiliency in couples. Dissertation Abstracts International: The Sciences and Engineering, 65(5-B), 2619. Mattingly, B.A., Oswald, D.L., & Clark, E.M. (2011). An examination of relational-interdependent self-construal, communal strength, and pro-relationship behaviors in friendships. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 1243-1248. Reis, H.T., Smith, S.M., Carmichael, C.L., Caprariello, P.A., Tsai, F., Rodriguez, A., & Maniaci, M.R. (2010). Are you happy for me? How sharing positive events with others provides personal and interpersonal benefits. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99, 311-329. Stafford, L. (2003). Maintaining romantic relationships: A summary and analysis of one research program. In D.J. Canary & M. Dainton (Eds.), Maintaining relationships through communication: Relational, contextual, and cultural variations (pp. 51-77). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Fairy Tales Final Exam Short Answers Essay

1. The Idea of Naming Unique names and titles contribute greatly to the success of fairytales. In classic fairytales, readers identify the protagonist as an icon, rather than a requisite to push the plot. Timeless â€Å"appellations,† such as â€Å"Cinderella,† â€Å"The Little Red Ridinghood,† â€Å"Snow White,† â€Å"Blue Beard,† etc. inheritably connect to public impression. Nowadays, every name has a story behind it, and the name itself is a story. In general, classical fairytale names feature descriptive adjectives, especially colors, which directly refer to the protagonist’s physical characteristic. As a result, names sound both natural and indigenous that readers can easily remember. Thanks to the widely recognized popularity, these vivid appellations now become universal symbols. For example, â€Å"Snow White† denotes unsurpassable beauty rather than a beautiful child â€Å"as white as snow.† In addition, â€Å"Cinderella† literally addresses to a maiden who works all day long in â€Å"cinder,† while nowadays the appellation represents any girl who successfully achieves materialistic progress through marriage, such as Princess Kate. Furthermore, these lively descriptive dictions greatly impact fashion and entertainment industry nowadays; Recently, Christian Louboutin, the famous shoe designer known for his trademark red soles, announced his latest challenge: to design a pair of modern glass slippers since woman has been longing for centuries to find a perfect fit. Names in classic fairytales serve more than a reference to the character, but an idol to carry the timeless stories forward. However, compared to the straightforward names in classics, modern fairytale names feature simplicity and artificial symbolization. For more recent days, fairytale writers tend to simplify the names but focus more on the storylines themselves. Hans Christian Anderson, the celebrated fairytales authors in 19th century, emphasizes on the character’s identity such as â€Å"the little Mermaid, † â€Å"The little match girl,† â€Å"Princess on the peas† instead of detailed physical descriptions. Another 19th century writer, Oscar Wilde also adopts straightforward appellations such as â€Å"the Giant,† â€Å"The happy prince† that inevitably weaken the visual impact on readers. However, the simplicity contributes greatly to the story telling itself, since readers now pay more attention to the plot. People memorize the happy princess as a selfless donor rather than a beautiful, grandeur statue. Also, the â€Å"little match girl† from Anderson wins worldwide sympathy not for the fact she sells matches, but for the suffering. Thus, during the 19th to 20th century, fairytale names move toward simplification and frankness. Furthermore, in contemporary works such as Judy Budnitz’s Flying Leap and Donald Barthelme’s Snow White, writers either artificially embody names with symbolization, or utilize names as agent numbers. For example, in Judy Budnitz’s Hershel, readers intuitively connect the protagonist Hershel, who sells baby as a product through baking them in the oven, to the Hershey chocolate factory. What would happen if technologies allow human to reproduce as baking chocolates? On the other hand, names do not necessarily convey any information of the character. Barthelme assigns random names to the seven dwarfs such as Kevin, Edward, Huburt, etc. in Snow White that carry few significant annotations but effectively smooth the story telling. Thus, in modern days, authors add an artificial flavor to fairytale names that either designed for clarification purposes or for intentional symbolization. As a result, the impact of names gradually deceases from classics to modern works, since modern writers tend to focus more on the ideas rather than to establish a universally recognized icon. 5. Fairytale Family Tree Although most fairytales initially contain violence, cruelty, and sexual descriptions, modern readers intuitively associate fairytales with a perfect heaven-like world. Why? Throughout the past three hundred years, writers, producers, and scholars gradually collaborate to not only remove the dark side of fairytales, but also invest heavily on comic elements to win popularity. As a result, from traditional Perrault to innovative Shrek, modern fairytale reinterpretations celebrate laughter, humor, and optimism to a dramatic extent. As the first person to mark fairytales as a new genre, Perrault maintains most of the violence, sexual inference, and tragic endings in Tale of Mother Goose. However, he attempts to draw a moral lesson from each story, especially those with a sad ending. As a result, these comments provide valuable relief to readers. For example, in Little Red Ridinghood, Perrault warns children against the danger of â€Å"talking to strangers.† Thanks to the warning, children would fear less of the unpredictable death− swallowed by a wolf, but behave cautiously in real life. Obviously, although pessimistic elements inevitably accompany some fairytales, storytellers endeavor to restore the belief of ultimate truth, happiness, and beauty in the end. Following Perrault’s trend, Grimm Brothers deliberately minimizes the number of gloomy fairytale endings. Despite the remaining violence, almost all the princes and princesses symbolically â€Å"live happily ever after.† Since Grimm brothers target children as the major readers, they offer immediate satisfaction to intensify the optimism−originated from Perrault’s moral lessons. As a result, in Grimm Brother’s version, little red ridinghood successfully rescues her grandma as well as defeats the wolf through the hunter’s assistance. Along with Grimm Brother’s efforts, modern movie productions, especially the Walt Disney productions, further strengthen the delightful side in fairytales that elevate the genre as a symbolization of the ideal world. Thanks to the overwhelming influence of Disney productions, fairytales win the favor of children and parents from all walks of life. In addition to the ultimate happy ending, Disney eliminates most of the bloody scenes in movies. For example, in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the evil queen falls off the cliff instead of dancing until death on iron slippers. Thanks to Disney’s emphasis on the bright side, most antagonists receive reduced punishments. Moreover, Disney introduces music, funny appellations, and humanlike animal figures to promote the comical atmosphere. For the first time, producers assign distinguishable names, such as â€Å"Sleepy,† â€Å"Happy,† to the seven dwarfs in the Snow White movie. As a result, Disney movies root deeply in children’s hearts with a perfectly moral kingdom. Furthermore, modern artists seek innovations to alleviate the struggle on the protagonists’ quest in Disney movies; indeed, every moment should bring laughter instead of nervousness to the audience. In addition to the removal of violence, films and productions such as Shrek and Into the woods totally renovate the storyline. No longer serving as the puppets under writers’ manipulation, fairytale characters start to reflect, comment, and even tease each other in a good nature. Undeniably, worldwide audience celebrates the humor when the green ogre Shrek awkwardly kisses the green princess Fiona, proven by Shrek’s commercial and critical success. Based on Disney’s illusion of a perfect world, modern producers further reduce the struggles but laugh at the hardship into lighthearted humor. Overall, through Perrault, Grimm Brother, Disney and contemporary producers’ efforts, worldwide children and parents regard fairytales as the ultimate relief of the real world. Gradually moving away from the dark sides, fairytale nowadays celebrate love, trust, truth and most importantly, humor. 6. Dorian Gray and Budnitz’s stories, fairytales or not? According to Bruno Bettelheim’s definition, Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde hardly meets the qualifications of fairytales. For Bettelheim, fairytale must provide security to readers by directly addressing to the â€Å"existential anxieties and dilemmas,† while Dorian Gray fails to offer such assurance. Instead, Wilde industriously portrays the dark side of human psyche. Also, Bettelheim regards fairytale as a reflection of growth and maturity. However, Dorian Gray obviously never grows up but dies of self-obsession. In fact, Oscar Wilde focuses on Dorian’s struggle to fight against the physical aging process rather than addresses to spiritual awakening. Although Dorian sacrifices his soul in exchange of forever youth and beauty, the eventual punishment fails to show any lessons of struggle. Dorian not only fails to achieve salvation through good deeds, but also shows no regrets of the evil trade. Thus, Bettelheim would very likely dismiss the proposal of categorizing Dorian Gray as a fairytale. In addition, Bettelheim’s theory states that fairytales respond to â€Å"the desperate feelings of loneliness and isolation† rather than narcissism or hedonism. As an aristocrat, Dorian Gray enjoys both materialistic affluence and spiritual fulfillment. Physical beauty effortlessly wins Dorian the love from the upper class under the setting of Victorian London. Especially the appreciation from Lord Henry greatly satisfies Dorian’s self-pride. Thus, Dorian suffers from neither loneliness nor isolation as Bettelheim highlighted but self-obsession. Moreover, Dorian lacks adventures into the world since he mostly struggles against internal human greed, violating Bettelheim’s belief of â€Å"only by going out into the cord†¦can find himself†¦and others live happily ever after.† Furthermore, Dorian Gray’s interaction with the outside world only intensifies his self-obsession, as the crowd incessantly celebrating his beauty. As a result, Dorian Gray only portrays the dark side of human psyche without suggesting any lessons about maturity and growth. On the other hand, Budnitz’s short stories satisfy partially Bettelheim’s expectation of fairytales, but still fail to generate a valuable lesson for adult to learn and grow. For example, Barren directly addresses to the insecurity of adult world: what would happen if human suddenly lose the capability to raise children? However, the story itself fails to provide assurance and relief. In Barren, despite countless endeavor to make babies, humans achieve no progress. The protagonists â€Å"go out into the world† for solutions, for example adopting babies in China and Indian and orphans and sex. However, they return with disappointment and panic. Babies eventually re-appear not because of human’s efforts, but of the invisible hands of fate. Under Bettelheim’s theory, fairytales suppose to show children that â€Å"if one does not shy away from severe difficulties†¦but steadfastly meets unexpected†¦masters all obstacles and emerges victorious†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Unfortunately, Budnitz not only rings the alert of the danger of generation gaps, but also eliminates the optimism. Compared to fate, human efforts appear so fragile that even the most fundamental ability of reproduction faces the danger. As a result, at the end of the story, readers close the book with unprecedented fear rather than relief. Furthermore, even happy endings do not fully represent fairytales under Bettelheim’s theory. Although stories such as Direction provide a happy reunion, the story itself fails to articulate how to achieve such success. Even old magic provides the readers something to believe, instead of the absolute randomness. Compared to traditional fairytales, Budnitz’s stories leave the readers with too many concerns shadowing the satisfaction. Obviously, Bettelheim would not agree with such incompleteness. Instead, he would probably classify Budnitz’s stories as modern fables since they do teach a meaningful lesson to the readers. 7. Ownership of fairytales As fairytales evolve throughout history, every generation has a unique interpretation. Obviously, Disney productions dominate the modern fairytale interpretation, for children recognize the little mermaid as â€Å"Ariel† and Beauty as â€Å"Bella.† Understandably, critics such as Jack Zipes express blatant jealousy towards Disney’s success by charging that the animation giant â€Å"has attempted to fix them in our minds.† However, in the modern era, Disney movies achieve unprecedented popularity only because they capture the value of modern audience most successfully. Through animations, pillow books, toys, and Disneyland, Disney creates a universal fairytale kingdom with followers in every age group. Although Disney heavily emphasizes on American dream such as affluence, humor, endeavor, and perseverance, the cartoons cross the culture boundary and win recognition all over the world. After all, if Disney does own a monopoly, it is the readers themselves that voluntarily allow Disney characters to root in their minds as fairytale stereotypes. In addition, Disney domination not necessarily sentences the death of other fairytale interpretations. Beyond the Disney stereotypes, Anne Sexton’s Transformation and Bruno Bettelheim’s The Enchant of Fairytales revolutionize my impression of fairytales in the semester, especially the brilliant comments by Sexton. As a huge Disney lover, I never doubt the beauty of fairytale imaginaries. However, lines such as â€Å"The two sisters came to curry favor/and the white dove pecked their eyes out/two hollow spots were left/like soup spoons/† and â€Å"like two dolls in a museum case/never bothered by diapers or dust† in Cinderella add an intrinsic flavor of the real world imperfection into the Disney kingdom. Too many marriages end up with arguments. Maybe the relationship was as perfect as Cinderella and the Prince’s, but what daily arguments actually ruin the sweetness? Or perfect marriage only lasts in the museum case? Although readers frequently seek an idealistic escape in fairytales, such sarcastic comments actually provide an insightful reflection over the real life conflicts. Compared to Sexton’s abrupt commentary, Bettelheim explores the symbolic interpretation of fairytales under logics. In the past, fairytales bring nothing more than happiness, spiritual fulfillment, and moments of relaxation. However, Bettelheim’s The Enchant of Fairytales connects the most straightforward stories to the sophistication of literature. Every character symbolizes a group of children; every adventure teaches a lesson; every journey leads to growth. Most importantly, through Bettelheim’s psychological analysis, the seemingly artificial explanation indeed collaborates into a well-developed theory. For example, Bettelheim interprets the deprivation of the cow as a turning point for Jack to â€Å"encounter the world† and â€Å"do it by himself.† Also, the symbolization â€Å"gold† as pure wealth, â€Å"golden eggs† as the importance of producing wealth, and â€Å"golden harp† as â€Å"beauty,† or â€Å"higher things in life† totally fascinate me. As a result, Bettelheim’s logical analysis overrides my impression from Disney; for the first time that I realize that fairytales can suggest more than dream, but the complete process of growth and maturity as well. In addition, Bettelheim’s theory about the quest into the woods in pursuit of success arouses my personal memory. As an international student, studying abroad itself simulates the adventure. Maybe I am the Hansel or Gretal who fights for survival? Or maybe I am the Jack who climbs into the sky for wealth, recognition, and maturity? Fairytales serve as a reminder of the dream. Undeniably, audience cherishes Disney stories for the vivid visualization of fairytale characters, the celebration of success, or a moment of relief. However, insightful comments in Sexton and Bettelheim also provide an alternative view: rather than stories for entertainment, fairytales open an encyclopedia that guides the path to maturity.

The Effect of Employee Training and Development as a Human Resource Essay

The Effect of Employee Training and Development as a Human Resource Practice on Productivity - Essay Example Emphasis on the different theories and the merits and demerits of the theories will be discussed. Since the aim of the dissertation is to understand the effects of training and development on employee productivity it is essential that a case is taken into consideration. The study conducted in this dissertation uses data from a company – British American Tobacco Ltd. UK., to discuss and understand the effects of training and development on the employees and how the productivity of employees is affected by these human resource practices. The Human Resources departments of various companies and corporations who are actively working on improving the performance and productivity of employees or are preparing proposals to the management on implementing different training and development processes to improve the productivity of employees. The key issues that will be discussed in the dissertation are the effect of training and development programs on employee productivity. The merits and demerits of including the training programs for graduate employees will also be discussed. As the company spends a lot of its resources in training of employees it is essential that the results got from these programs are beneficial for the company. Also, a brief discussion about why training programs might not be useful in certain cases will also be discussed. Recommendations for the company will include steps the company can take to ensure positive results in the form of better productivity of employees will also be discussed. The companies website states a lot of different programs that BAT offers for new starters, this will also be discussed in detail to analyze the usefulness and appropriateness of the programs. Another issue that will be discussed is the effectiveness of the theories that have been derived over the past years. A detailed explanation of the different theories will be discussed and an analysis of the theories will be made.

LITERATURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

LITERATURE - Essay Example While generally the end of the First World War can be regarded as the commencement of the modernist tradition in literature, end of the Second World War marked initiation of the postmodernism. The writers of modernist tradition, after experiencing the radical shift from romantic traditions which also was further worsened by great devastation of the First World War, attempted to develop a holistic approach that they considered to be a matter of great importance to solve the prevailing problems. The postmodernists on the other hand adopted quite a different approach than that of the modernists and emphasized on the evaluation as well as analysis of the different aspects that construct life from in a fragmented manner. Irrespective of the fact that postmodernists derived a great deal of their inspiration from modernist traits of writing, however, their attempt to deal with subjects of novels in a fragmented and highly individualized manner developed the core of postmodernism. Such effor ts not only helped in the genesis of different sub-genres in the 20th Century novel writing tradition but also helped readers to receive more accurate understanding of the social, cultural, political and philosophical scenario of the contemporary time. ... to art and aesthetics of modernist literature, development of popular literature and to which extent these two novels, respectively, have helped in understanding the forms of postmodern existence in a better way. In order to establish the criteria for determining the best novel of 20th Century, it is important to understand both modernism and postmodernism as these two literary and philosophical disciplines have played the most important parts in determining the aesthetics of the century, elaborated the socio-cultural aspects and finally help a reader to understand the relevance of texts with both aesthetics as well as socio-cultural dimensions. The term ‘modernism’ has raised a great deal of debate, dilemma and controversies among critics of literature and such vast is its expanse that quite often it becomes difficult to determine the actual literary-philosophical dimension of the discipline. Thus, critics like Malcolm Bradbury and James McFarlane, in their efforts to d etermine modernism, have emphasized on two different â€Å"sets of association† (Gupta, 2005, p. 221). In the first set of association they have opined is linked with â€Å"high aesthetic self-consciousness and nonrepresentationalism, in which art turns from realism and humanistic representation towards style, technique, and spatial form in pursuit of a deeper penetration of life †¦.† (Cited in Gupta, 2005, p. 221). This type of association helps in the genesis of experimental and innovative arts and consecutively deconstructs the traditional forms of artistic perception as well as representation in terms of structure, myth and organization. In the second type of association the critics have attempted to elaborate the reasons that resulted in such changes. While on one hand the intellectual dimension

HP at a Strategic Crossroad Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

HP at a Strategic Crossroad - Assignment Example But, the company was not able to take up the challenge thrown up by the rapid advancements in technologies and some of the competitors. Fiorina had proved herself at AT&T by bringing about a successful spin-off at its equipment and research branch. With such a legacy she joined HP and started her mission to refurbish the image of HP and implementing the requisite changes. For introducing changes in an organization and its functioning, the manager is supposed to take into confidence the team leaders, departmental heads and other support staff. The CEO will be able to plan and execute the strategies effectively if she had fullest support from other managers and the governing board. In this case it appears that Carleton Fiorina didn't believe in collaborative or democratic type of functioning. Instead she took pride in imposing her decision and carrying through her plan irrespective of what others have to say on that particular decision. She gained notoriety for placing her interest ove r the interests of the organization. This is a serious shortcoming for being an able and acceptable leader. To manage an organization, the manager has to manage the human resources, the machinery and the strategies. The leader will be termed as successful, if she is able to take active cooperation of the human resources in managing the machinery and planning & executing the strategies. But in this case Fiorina resorted to 'ambush marketing' from the very beginning. Without caring for the tradition or conventions at HP, she started imposing her plans. It can very well be argued that in this era of cut-throat competition, an organization has to plan out its strategies according to the demand from market, but expecting the change to take place overnight, proves detrimental for the health of the organization. This is exactly what Fiorina did after joining HP. It is said that, companies and organizations are made for people and by the people, and obviously their effectiveness depends on the behavior and performance of the people running these companies. Howard Good (2006), the former president of Highland Central School Board in Highland, NY, says, "Being board president brings power and prestige, but you must inspire and help others to be successful". A team leader therefore plays the central role in making or breaking the team. It is the team leader who can synergize the efforts or just wither away the advantage, with his actions. A team leader is supposed to delegate the powers and responsibilities amongst his/ her team mates, inspire the team members by being an example and motivate his team with appropriate motivating factors. A leader can synergize the efforts by; Eliciting the contribution from all concerned Organizing the team members by assigning them the responsibilities, and Developing an information system for monitoring and coordination activities. It can very well be argued that HP had become a bureaucratic type of an organization and was on the verge of loosing the status of being a leader in innovation. World's first scientific calculator was given to the world by HP way back in 1967. The company has been a market leader in printing and imaging business solutions since 1985. But somehow the company could not keep pace with the changing technology and the competitors like IBM and Dell overtook it. The revenue figures started declining. A dynamic leader

Case Study of NIKE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case Study of NIKE - Essay Example Not only this, it also targets its products mainly to the fashionable and trendy youths of the country with premium life style so as to position its product as a premium one. This might enhance its dominance and power in the market among others and may amplify its reputation as well. Apart from this, Nike Inc tries to develop exclusive products with innovative features after analysing the changing psychology and intention of the customers. It is done to offer the fitness-centric athletes (both male and female) the best possible performance in their sports thereby amplifying its competitiveness in the market. Along with this, such a strategy might enhance the satisfaction rate of the customers as well as customer retention ratio (Mathews, 2002, 467-488). Other than this, Nike Inc always tries to present its target customer, high quality of products at an effective price, in order to enhance its market share and demand. Due to which, inspite of high price or premium brand, the level of loyalty and range of customers is extremely high of Nike Inc among many others such as Adidas, Reebok and Puma. Thus, it might be clearly stated that, the target market of Nike Inc is quite large as maximum extent of the individual or sports lovers crave for its products among others. The entire credit for such an image goes to its internal marketing department that implements innovative technologies and designs within its products (Guillà ©n & Garcà ­a-Canal, 2012, pp. 656-675). In order to position its products in this competitive market among other brands such as Reebok, Puma and Adidas, it offers high concentration over the concepts of geographic, demographic, economic, psychographic and behavioural segmentation (Luo & Tung 2007, pp. 481-496). Demographic segmentation- the products of Nike Inc might be used by energetic and fitness centric sports lovers (both male and female) of varying age groups and income groups. Apart from this,

Slip & Fall Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Slip & Fall - Assignment Example Hence the defense is correctly drawn as far as the grocery store rules are concerned. The bag boy had done his duty which is important to consider in defense of the grocery store. Ann is being emotional in her response because it was her mistake in the first place and the grocery store should not pay for her lapse in concentration. Also the fact that she did not read the wet floor sign and disregarded it was her own mistake, which needs to be understood on the part of the court. Hence suing the grocery store for damages is unwarranted and does not merit a case at all. Ann should have known better where she is in the wrong and what kind of error she has committed in bringing her downfall (Biggermann, 2010). The grocery store did everything to make sure that she did not cross the barrier but putting up the wet floor sign but if she did not read it, then it is solely her own mistake and the store must not be blamed for it. Also the fact that many customers visit this grocery store on a daily basis is enough for the court to understand that a grocery store can just do so much. The customers need to be wary of the signs that are put up at such places and find out where they are going wrong or committing mistakes. This will put them at ease as far as slipping and falling down dynamics are concerned. It is important that the court considers the defense of the grocery store management as well before reaching on to a decision. The facts are there for the court to see and analyze, and now it is the responsibility of the honorable court to reach a decision which is based on impartiality and fairness. Ann must have known she is not following the proper rules and procedures within the grocery store and this is one aspect that should not have lingered on to such proportions. However, this unfortunate event took place much to the agony

Yamaha Business Strategy Analysis Research Paper

Yamaha Business Strategy Analysis - Research Paper Example When looking at the company of Yamaha, it can be seen that there are specific components which drive the business forward as a whole. However, the units of musical instruments and vehicle engines each have specific qualities that provide a different level of growth within the company. This paper will examine these two business units as well as the influences in both the internal and external environment. This examination will help to create a different set of ideologies of how the business should move forward, specifically with these two specialized units. Introduction Growth that is within a specific segment of a business is dependent on both internal and external variables that are noted among those within a given business. Today, the global marketplace is changing the way in which most corporations are working as well as the associations which are related to the businesses and the associations with the changes that are progressing and in demand. When looking at the business segmen ts of Yamaha, it can be seen that different segments require targets, positioning and new brand value to ensure the success of the products. Two of the segments which define this are the musical instruments and the vehicle engines that are defined by Yamaha. These two segments relate to the overall corporate strategy while creating an effective turn – around with the business and the way in which it is able to provide various components for the growth of the company. This paper will examine the current positioning of Yamaha, as well as the units which are located within the company. These two units will be further defined by the current position that Yamaha is in, specifically by analyzing both of the segments through various models. The components that are a part of the Yamaha segments will then be defined with strategies which should be approached to ensure continuous growth and success within the company while ensuring that there is the ability to create a stronger develop ment of the musical products and the vehicle engines. Changing the approach and focusing on the internal and external environment in a different manner ensures the success of the company while allowing for new approaches to redefine the needs within the corporation. Background of Yamaha The overall ideologies behind Yamaha began in 1887 as a forerunner to the industrial age. The company began in Japan with the focus on reed organs which could be mass produced. The ideology of Yamaha quickly expanded into musical instruments, audio – visual products, semiconductors, computer products, sporting goods, home appliances and specialty industrial tools. The growth within each of these corporations continues to segment into services and products that are a part of the main corporation and which have led to several branches which are supporting the main products offered by the company. The overall mission of the business is to provide innovative products and services with the various branches of service which are offered. The philosophy is known as kando together, which is based on enriching culture and technology with different products. This is combined with the vision of offering the products to households and businesses while providing services of the basic needs and entertainment that is associated with individuals in various societies. Today, each of the market divisions continue to create a strong presence with the general mission and vision while remaining at the cutting edge of new services and products that are related to the main products which Yamaha was founded from (Yamaha, 2011). Background of Yamaha Musical Instruments The musical instrum

Case Grading Schema (NA) Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Grading Schema (NA) - Case Study Example Thus, while the other departments provided the bank with operational challenges, the HR department was the most affected. This study seeks to delve into the growth of the BoE, with a focus on how the growth has impacted on its effective delivery of services to the customers, as well as how the challenges experienced in the HR department has impacted on the bank’s performance. Summary When it first opened its doors in the year 2001, the Bank of Excellence (BoE) became the center of attraction to many. Despite the fact that it started as a microfinance institution, its growth and transformation to a fully fledged bank took only 6 years, and by the year 2007, it was granted a fully fledged bank status. The bank now prides itself for having 8 branches in different regions, with a growing profit margin every single year, except in the 2012 financial year, when the profit of the bank declined significantly. Several questions have been raised, regarding how the microfinance instituti on registered such a rapid growth, to attain a bank status within 6 years of its operation. First, the innovative product strategy was applied by BoE when it first opened its doors, to give the customers a range of new financial products that were not offered by other financial institutions. BoE specialized in offering low-interest loans to the customers, which were processed fast and the terms and conditions attached were not stringent. This made it easy for the many customers to apply and qualify for loans, which they would not have otherwise been granted by other financial institutions, due to the strict requirements that hindered their application for loans, such as high security and collateral requirements (Falcone, 2009). BoE introduced the system of giving loans to the customers based on movable and other less secured assets, which allowed many applicants to qualify for the loans. Excellent customer service is the other strategy that the microfinance institution had applied t o attract many customers. The microfinance institution ensured that customers were served as quickly as possible, while also ensuring that they got good customer service from its employees. This made the customers feel valued by the financial institution, and thus kept increasing by the day. The microfinance institution had also ensured that its employees are well motivated and enabled, to deliver the best services to the customer, an aspect that helped to build good customer relationship and consequently customer loyalty to the microfinance. There was a direct and cordial relationship between the employees and the management of the microfinance, which made the employees feel appreciated. There was also a reward system for the employees, who were rewarded with bonuses and even promotion, once they performed well and even came up with innovative ideas for the microfinance to implement and benefit the business, the employees and the customers. By the end of its first year of operation , the microfinance had managed to attract over 200, 000 regular customers. This growth trend continued until the microfinance attained a customer base of over one million, and thus applied to be registered as a fully fledged Bank. Analysis The attainment of the bank status was a privilege to the microfinance institution, since it would now benefit more from the central Bank lending, as opposed to when it was just microfinance.

Pride and Prejudice Argumentative Essay Essay Example for Free

Pride and Prejudice Argumentative Essay Essay Part I Select three of the identity categories below and name or describe at least 3 related stereotypes for each: †¢ Race †¢ Ethnicity †¢ Religion †¢ Gender †¢ Sexual orientation †¢ Age †¢ Disability |Category |Stereotype 1 |Stereotype 2 |Stereotype 3 | |Religion |Fanatical Christians |Islam extremists |All mormons are poligamists | |Gender |Men should never cry |Women can be in power because of |Pink is for girls | | | |their periods | | |Age |As you get older you cannot learn |Older people are not as sharp as |Old people are not interested in | | |new things |younger people |sex |. Part II Answer each question in 50 to 100 words related to those stereotypes. Provide citations for all the sources you use. What are the positive aspects of stereotypes, if any? Some stereotypes have been found to have a positive view of certain groups by other minority groups, Asian Americans are admired for â€Å"placing a high value on intellectual and professional achievement† and â€Å"having strong family ties†, Hispanic Americans â€Å"take deep pride in their culture and work hard to achieve a better life† (R.Schaefer, 2012), African Americans â€Å"have made a valuable contribution to American Society and will work hard when given a chance† (National Conference of Christians and Jews 1994). Another positive aspect of stereotyping (and I had to dig to find it) is that middle-class or afflcuent African Americans’ feelings of self esteem and self-image are more positive than those of comparable Whites. Our text does not tell us why just that it has been measured and exists and that one positive aspect. What are the negative aspects of stereotypes? Stereotyping has caused people to view certain groups of people in a negative light, even though people do not express such views openly, prejudice and stereotyping still exists. In an article written by Tim Giago, â€Å"National Media Should Stop Using Obscene Words†, Tim describes how the term â€Å"Redskins† is so readily used in football and how derogatory it is to hear for Native Americans. He likens the use of this term to such terms as â€Å"nigger†, â€Å"gook†, â€Å"kike†, and â€Å"wop†, and expresses how â€Å"ridiculous† it is to hear the fans doing the â€Å"tomahawk chop†. This is modern day stereotyping in a negative way and it should be stopped. Why do large corporations have the right to offend and stereotype? This should be stopped. Part III Answer each question in 50 to 150 words related to those stereotypes. Provide citations for all the sources you use. Define stereotypes and prejudice. What is the difference between stereotyping and prejudice? Use examples to illustrate the differences. According to Racial and Ethnic Groups, by R. Schaefer, stereotypes are unreliable, exaggerated generalizations about all members of a group that do not take individual differences into account. Prejudice is a negative attitude toward an entire category of people, such as a racial or ethnic minority. The difference between prejudices and stereotypes is that prejudice is learned over time by people who influence a person as they are growing up and books, movies, Internet and tv also play a part in a person becoming prejudice. Stereotypes are beliefs about people which are generally accepted that are based on something previously accepted about them. Examplese of some stereotypes are: all women are bitches, or all Arabs are terrorists. Examples of prejudices are: being afraid if you are on the bus and see a mentally ill person get on the bus because you are afraid that they may become violient. Statistic show that mentally ill people are no more or less prone to violence than normal people, please see this link about mental illness and violence: http://depts. washington. edu/mhreport/facts_violence. php What is the relationship between stereotyping and prejudice? Stereotyping and prejudice are not the same but can seem similar in a way, however the difference is important. There can be a stereotype about girls only like pink and boys only like to play with guns but a prejudice is when you are racist or have a â€Å"negative attitude toward an entire category of people† (R. Schaefer, 2012). What can be done to prevent prejudice from occurring? Diversity training and awareness is a way to prevent prejudice from occurring in the workplace. Education about diversity is a way to prevent it at schools. Much studying has been done about the prevention of prejudice but unfortunately if the training and/or education is not followed up with practice and further education and training it can lead to people going back to their old habits. This means that we must be diligent about fighing prejudice in our society, in our homes, at work, and in our schools. www. wikipedia. org Religious fanaticism http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Religious_fanaticism Main Street Plaza www. latterdaymainstreet. com A Community for Anyone Interested in Mormonism. Religious Stereotypes Venn Diagram According To Google: Expanded Mormon Edition www. religious-stereotypes-venn-diagram-according-to-google-expanded-mormon-edition Cracked. com 5 Gender Stereotypes That Used To Be the Exact Opposite By: J. F. Sargent April 24, 2012. http://www. cracked. com/article_19780_5-gender-stereotypes-that-used-to-be-exact-opposite. html#ixzz2KNtJBSML www. discoveryfithealth. com 10 Stereotypes About Aging (That Just Arent True) by Tom Scheve and Christine Venzon http://health. howstuffworks. com/wellness/aging/aging-process/5-stereotypes-about-aging6. htm Racial and Ethnic Groups, Thirteenth edition, by Richard T. Schaefer. Published by Merrill Prentice Hall. Copyright  © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Poetry Analysis- A Litany In The Time Of Plague Essay Example for Free

Poetry Analysis- A Litany In The Time Of Plague Essay Context Nashe is most famous as a pamphleteer. an odd career that now would see him working for some Chinese restaurant or another. In Elizabethan times a pamphleteer was a bit more prominent as pamphlets were one of the most effective ways to spread ideas or news across the country. Nashe’s pamphlets were apparently pretty controversial in theme and his poetry also caused a bit of a stir, see if you can work out why!: And make me happie, stealing by degrees. First bare hir legs, then creepe up to her knees †¦ â€Å"Unhappyie me,† quoth she, â€Å"and wilt not stand? Com, let me rubb and chafe it with my hand!† Do you really need to know this? No, but has it made you smile? No? Well, on with the relevant stuff then! So, we’ve established he was a naughty boy and in no way deserving of salvation, now let’s talk about the Black Death. It was a plague that swept around Europe for hundreds of years and is estimated to have killed 200 million people. At the time people were particularly put out by it because they had no idea what was causing it and there was seemingly no cure and people from all reaches of life were effected equally: Queen Elizabeth I was really scared of the plague and devised various quarantine measures to protect herself. You can imagine how an unexplained fatal disease killing everyone around you would make you a little terrified for your own life, feeling like the sword of Damocles is hanging over you head and making you seriously contemplate what happens next. Themes The big one here is obviously mortality, but it closely associated with salvations and therefore religious faith could be considered here too. Content Right, it’s six stanzas and it’ll take forever to do if I go through in too much detail so you’re going to have to be satisfied with an overview. Let’s start with the title. The word litany is now quite commonly used, but at the time was derived from and focused on a service in a church. We can take a litany to be a series of prayers or the whole service, which aims to convey a message to a congregation listening to the priest or preacher delivering it. The first stanza gives us an overview of what’s on Nashe’s mind; he’s a bit fixated on what he sees as the certainty of his approaching death. He mentions how much fun and joy there is in the world, but sees them as being overshadowed and made to seem inconsequential by the shadow of death (‘Death proves them [our joys] all but toys’) and our mortality. He tells us that ‘none from his darts can fly’ indicating the inevitability of death; we all know we’ll die, but he seems to be implying that none can escape from death from the plague as he says ‘I am sick, I must die’ as one inevitably leads to the other. The following four stanzas effectively say the same thing: no one is safe from the plague and nothing will protect you. He starts off by addressing the wealthy and assures them ‘Gold cannot buy your health’. He’s a little bit wrong here as wealth probably would ensure a bit of distance from the plague and the wealthy wouldn’t live in the crowded, filthy and rat infested confines of the cities, so would probably be less likely. However, this is besides the point, he’s telling them their money won’t keep them safe. Stanza 3 next addresses the beautiful and warns them that ‘wrinkles will devour’ them and their looks and that even beautiful Queens have died young. He uses a classical allusion in Helen (the face that launched a thousand ships†¦ because she was so pretty the Greeks went to rescue her from her Trojan captors) as well to convey the idea of beauties dying young and thus telling the young that even they are not safe from the plague. Strength and intelligence (‘wit’) are the next two subjects. Even the most powerful will eventually ‘feed’ for the worms, or rotting in the grave, again demonstrated with a classical allusion, this time to Hector (the Trojan hero). The intelligent are unable to argue their way out of their fate as ‘Hell’s executioner’, or the plague, has ‘no ears’ for them to appeal to. So basically he’s saying that everyone is screwed and there is nothing you can do to avoid the plague. That should give you an impression of people felt at the time; this plague was almost like a sign of judgement day as they didn’t know what caused it, it punished everyone equally and it a particularly unpleasant way to die. But hang on! There is one way we can be saved†¦ unfortunately it still requires us to die. Our only salvation is in heaven and Nashe is telling us to embrace our death, but make sure we have lived our lives in a way that will mean we can ‘mount†¦ unto the sky’ and head off to heaven. Lovely†¦ Hmm†¦ Language and techniques Hundreds of things to talk about, so don’t feel confined to the few examples I’ve chosen to zoom in on. First of all I’d analyse the language used to describe the plague. We are told that ‘none’ can escape its ‘darts’ making our death seem like a certainty; it travels ‘full swift by’ as if it is an unstoppable wind; and once we’re sick, we die confirming that once affected there is no hope. These associations suggest that humanity has no chance of survival against this mysterious and unexplained disease. Then we have the really disturbing imagery about how people die. There is certainly no glory in death as we might believe as ‘wrinkles devour’ beauty or consumed and distort it, while the strong are reduced to pathetic  weaknesses as ‘worms feed’ upon their flesh with them unable to fight back. These images both have a literal association with the plague as huge blisters often formed on victims making them quite repulsive, while victims were reduced to extremely frail conditions thanks to fever and sickness (also suggested by the fact the strong ‘stoop to the grave’, almost unable to stand). However, these images are meant to shock us and make us scared of the disease and for our mortality. I’d also mention how fatalistic the poet is. The plague did not effect everyone and yet we have an almost apocalyptic expression of the certainty of death that recurs throughout the poem again and again and again. Each stanza repeats the final two lines that link sickness absolutely with death and then beg for divine mercy, but we also get a unique element of the certainty of demise in each stanza: 1st – ‘None from his darts can fly’ – no one can escape from death/the plague. 2nd – ‘All things to end are made’ – everything dies! 3rd – ‘wrinkles will devour’ no uncertainty about decay. 4th – ‘Swords may not fight with fate’ – you cannot fight fate, death is inevitable. 5th – the first two lines†¦ less convincing here – intelligence certain to be overcome by the bitterness of death. Then you’ve got that last stanza and the last line of each stanza. ‘Lord, have mercy on us!’ is a desperate plea to a higher power to make things better the next place they go, a plea for salvation and against being damned to hell. The whole of this stanza seems to indicate the importance of faith as we’re told ‘To welcome destiny’ presumably by being morally good to please the lord, and that earth is just ‘a player’s stage’ meaning that it is sort of a rehearsal or an audition for the real deal of life in either heaven ‘our heritage’ or hell. Structure Well, the first thing to say is that this is a litany. It is set out as a prayer and deliberately sounds like one of those religious fables telling us how to live our lives – ultimately with God and faith at the centre. We get the opening stanza setting the scene for the devastating impact of the  plague as if it is actually destroying the whole world, as if it is beckoning judgement day. The middle stanzas show us things that people rely on while on earth, but proves how useless these things are against death/the plague. Finally, we are given the message about how we can defeat this certain death†¦ by dying as good Christians and going to heaven. I’ve already mentioned it above, but you could also discuss why the last two lines repeat in each stanza. Yes, it makes it like a prayer, but also it emphasises the certainty of death and the poet cannot escape this preoccupation with the end being nigh! Tone Pretty sombre as at every turn this guy wants to remind us and himself that he is certain to die†¦ and in a pretty gruesome and debilitating way. However, there is also an element on preaching here as he is trying to tell us what we have to do – be good and die horrible, but live on in heaven.

Brand architecture and branding analysis

Brand architecture and branding analysis A brand is name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller and to differentiate them from those of competition American marketing Association 1960. A brand is name, symbol, logo, design or image or any combination of these, which is designed to identify product or service. Kotler et al, 1999 Brand distinguishes a companys product from its competitors and an identified product or service that closely satisfies customers needs and wants. Brand is an asset to a company and reflects the quality of customer service. Branding is all about the customers trust of the product or service and makes the segmentation easier for the company. The difference between a company and its competitors should be communicated by brand, because it makes a company unique. BMW, Toyota, Luis Vuitton, NEXT, Debenhams, Nike and Coca Cola are the well-known brands that command price premium and stimulate deep customers loyalty. Branding Branding is the collection of actual and emotional characteristics associated with a particular identified product or service that differentiates it from the rest of marketplace Hand-out notes by tutor Anthony smith Branding is an important aspect of marketing to build a strong image of a company. Mercedes Benz is an automobile brand that commands a premium with their engineering, performance, quality, customer service and after sales service. Toyota shares all these characteristics but still they were not positioned as premium in the customers mind. Toyota then created Lexus as a premium brand with the collaboration of both Toyota and Lexus shared engineering, design elements and customer service. How-to-branding.com Brand Architecture Brand architecture refers to the hierarchy of brands within a single company. It is the interrelationship of the parent company, subsidiary companies, products, and services, and should mirror the marketing strategy. Kompanigroup.com How an organization structures various products, services or other entities within its portfolio and how they relate to one another. Brandinstitue.com In the growing economy we can see different companies merging with each other and form the strategy for each of the targeted group in which every product can carry its own brand name. Good and clear brand architecture leads a company towards brand positioning and also helps to get sustainable competitive advantage. There are three different types of brand architecture strategies. Corporate/Monolithic Branding Strategy In this strategy company takes on a unified brand for all product categories and targeted market. This strategy creates simplicity, and cost deficiencies can be achieved as opposed to multi-branding architecture, in which a corporate brand plays a smaller role. Microsoft, Intel, Disney, CNN, SONY, Nike, Virgin and coca cola etc. are the best examples of corporate branding. Corporate banding makes the advertising easier for the company as they just advertise their name and slogan. . Coca cola is recognizable in every continent of the world through its red curved bottle and logo. SONY is a corporate brand as its name is attached to everything, from its DVDs to play station. The founder of SONY, Akio Morita, once said: I have always believed that the company name is the life of an enterprise. It carries responsibility and guarantees the quality of the product. Therefore corporate strategy leads a company to sustainable financial outcomes. Brandingstrategyinsider.com . Adhistry.wikispaces.com Google.co.uk Multi/Individual Branding Strategy Multi Brand Strategy refers to a marketing strategy under which two or more than two similar products of a firm are marketed under different brand names. Finance.mapsofworld.com It is very difficult for a brand to position itself in a diversified environment where the customers needs and wants are different. Therefore, company can fill different market segments through diversifying its product range. VW, PG, Unilever and Diageo are the best examples of multi branding. PG is the prime example, having a multiple shampoo brand to influence different customers, like head shoulder for dandruff, Pentene for healthy hear and Sassoon for professional saloon experience. Through multi branding a company can target more than one segment in the market and fill the price gaps. Multi branding is a good strategy but sometime it fails because of the poor management. Due to failure it could harm the family brand name. VW took many years to change the negative brand image of Skoda from the customers mind. Helen Meek. et al, 2001 Google.co.uk Endorsed Branding A brand that carries the endorsement of a source brand (the parent company). Brandbuild.eu Endorsements add integrity and assurance of the indorsed sub brand in customers mind without overpowering it with its own association. Endorsed branding is suitable for the company, using varied product portfolio, e.g. Nestle, Cadbury, Unilever etc. Nestle written on the Kit Kat, Cadbury written on Dairy Milk to provide credibility and assurance to the product. Some companies give independence to the endorsed brands like Unilever give freedom to the Heartbrands such as Feast, Magnum and Cornetto and they have their own marketing campaigns and target market. Some companies has firm relationship between company name and product, e.g. Ford does it with the model Mustang, people using either the brand name Mustang or the full name Ford Mustang. Google.co.uk Brand Elements Brand elements are those trademarkable devices that identify and differentiate the brands. There are certain elements of a brand, like names, logos, symbol, characters, slogans, design, features etc. some important elements are mentioned below. Kotler et al, 1996 Brand Name Name is the most significant element of the brand. This is the only part of the brand which should never be changed. It help customers to identify distinguish product from competitors. It is not necessary the brand name is associated with the company and can be different. But if the brand name is linked with the quality of the product either high or low, then all good must be of the same standard. MS is the prime example of providing quality products through St Michael Brand as one can see its tag on the cloths and food and household goods as well. Brand Image Brand image is fundamental way through which a customer recognises and believes a brand. It gives a company an identity and creates a better image in the mind of the customers. Brand image is unique that clearly reflects the image of the organisation and different from the competitors. To build a right image in the customers mind, the company must have to focus on brand identity. Brand Personality Brand personality is the goodwill of the brand. It is associated with the benefits and attributes of the brand. Brand personality is unique and long lasting; it is the emotional attachment of the consumers with the product, e.g. Sony and Panasonic, both are the giants of electronic sector, although both got same features, some peoples prefer one of the other because of their trust on the product by long time. Brand Association Brand association is the relative strength of consumers positive feelings towards the brand Lasser et al, 1995 Associations, according to Aaker (1991) represent the bases for purchase decisions and for brand loyalty. The way consumers perceive brand is a key determinant of long-term business-consumer relationships. Hence, building strong brand perceptions is a top priority for many firms today. Morris, 1996 It is the perception of the customers towards a brand attributes and quality. Brands can be associated with the name, colours, symbols, attitudes, expressions and sound etc. Mercedes Benz is associated with the luxury drive and excellent engineering, Nike with its Slogan, Nokia with its sound, and Coca Cola with its red colour, Colgate toothpaste with cavity protection and Microsoft with Bill Gates. Renault has launched a successful campaign for its model Clio and used the famous French footballer Thierry Henry and Sesame Steet in the Va Va Voom advertisement. This campaign resulting attract more male customers than females. This is how celebritys association to the brand benefits organisation. Kotler et al, 1996 Brand association gives the basis of buying and brand loyalty to the customers. Companies always try to associate their brands with the positive things to create good image of the product in the mind of customers. Brand association developed if the product is desirable, durable and satisfies the customers needs. Positive customers perception about the product makes a brand stronger. It is formed on the basis of Product attributes, Advertisement, Relevant price, Quality, Celebrity and big entity association, Competition and Display points. Brand positioning Positioning is the place in consumers mind that you want you brand to own. For example, Hallmark caring shared, and Disney Family Fun entertainment. Positioning is not what you do to a product; positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. Ries and Trout, 1981 Brand positioning is successfully built through continuous communication with the customers about the product to its targeted market, through advertisement, brand name and its packing. Brand positioning refers to the position in the customers mind, it does not relate to market position. Brand positioning is associated with the market segmentation. The right market segment is to be targeted for the brand positioning. Brand positioning is all about a customers perception about the product. There are certain ways for a brand to be positioned, e.g. offering specific benefits, targeting a specific segment, pricing and distribution. Brand positioning is an important concept in which a company can decide where it wants to position its brand in its field relative to competition. Brand positioning is a thinking that guides a company to build a relationship between the brand and customers. Brand positioning gives space in the customers mind, so the company become in the better position to control over its own brand image. Price and quality are the most common attributes are considered in the brand positioning. To get a good position in the customers mind the company introduce brand of a good quality with on competitive price. The quality of the product must be at least equivalent or better from the competitors. Quality perception is the most powerful element of the brand positioning. Once a company is successful in building a powerful perception of quality will result in building a powerful brand. Psychological element is dominant to some extent in building a quality perception as some peoples psyche is that the product with high price tag is of good quality. Communicating brands through their specific features is another way to position brands, e.g. Clinic all clear, Dare to wear Black or Pakistan and India surf excel is advertised as stain remover, Surf Excel hena. Culture is another strong aspect to the brand positioning. Different companies use cultural symbols to differentiate products from their competitors. Examples including, Air India advertise through Maharaja, Tata tea, Hamara Bajaj etc. Treedeuce.com Brand Extension Brand extension is a marketing strategy in which a firm that markets a product with a well-developed image uses the same brand name but in a different product category. Brandexpress.net When a firm uses its brand in another product form, or even within another product class, then the firm is stretching the brand (also referred to as brand extension). Iain Ellwood Virgin is the good example of brand extension as they sell everything from records to airline travel, to cola drinks to wedding parties from clothing to cosmetic and computers. This is successful in brand extension because it has the ability to connect the customer directly and give them values. Many firms attempt to extend their brands but all the brand extensions are not suitable or desirable. An extended brand always works best in a top to down direction. It is always easy for a company to bring brand extension from relatively cheaper product line. Ralph Lauren and Gucci are the best example. Ralph Lauren extended from luxury clothing to jeans and bed linen while Gucci brand is extended from luxury clothes to oven gloves, cooking aprons and dog toys. An extended brand has a low introductory cost because the customers, traders and retailer are well aware of the product. Brand extension brings options to the customers through variety of products. If the product is of lower quality, will result in damaging in overall brand value. Iain Ellwood Caterpillar is one of the biggest non-sporting footwear companies in the world with its brand CAT. This is basically a construction and mining equipment manufacturing company that extended their brand in this potential segment. It was perceived that it is the biggest mistake of the caterpillar but the extension was a big success. Sometimes the brand extension, implemented incorrectly due to less understanding. LEGO is a Danish toy manufacturing company, decided to extend its brand and launched its own product line of cloths, watches and video games but it was ignored by its target market, that result half of its employee are redundant back in 2004. Kotler et al, 2001 Michelin and Goodyear are the French companies, famous for making rubber tyres and having a number of brand extensions. Michelin brand extensions are car and cycle related product, footwear and clothing, sports and leisure and personal accessories. On the other hand Goodyear becomes the partner of the Adidas to make a series of driving shoes. Kotler et al 2001 We can see normally financial services providers have not attempted to extend their brands, and only concern with their original market. On the other hand, there are too many non-financial service providers extended directly to the financial services. E.g. Tesco extended its market to Tesco banking and Tesco insurance. Benefits of branding To customers People buy brands, because they are well aware of the quality of the product and save time and efforts. Buying a branded product can give customers a peace of mind and credibility. Most of the branded products have warranty policies, which gives customers assurance of a quality product. Some big companies having product replacing policies, e.g. DeWalt a power tool manufacturing company, replace the product immediately in case of damage. To intermediaries/stakeholders There are certain benefits of branding to different stakeholders, that directly/indirectly effecting the organisation. Multinational organisations always have the strategy for social, environmental and economic issues. Companies contribute to the societies in which they operate. Brands follow government regulations to minimise any adverse effect to the environment. Employees always attract to innovative companies where learning opportunities are always there. Supplying goods directly to retailers, companies distribute goods through agents or distributers. Distributers get long-term agreements from the known brand companies. Retailer can get benefits from overall marketing campaign. Sustainable competitive advantage When two or more firms compete within the same market, one firm possesses a competitive advantage over its rivals when it earns (or has the potential) to earn a persistently higher rate of profit. Grant, 2002 It is very important for every organisation to be successful in long term. Effective corporate branding is certainly the main source of getting sustainable competitive advantage in the market. Worlds famous corporate brands do not sell products, they sell concepts, e.g. Coca Cola does not sell a soft drink, it sells enjoyment and Microsoft does not sells computers, it sells possibility. Brand designers create a corporate brand identity through promotional material and advertising campaign to establish a corporate identity. There are certain brand characteristics that lead a company to get sustainable competitive advantage. A well designed logo and a strong identity system can give a company an edge over its competitors. Brand Identity A unique set of brand associations that the brand strategist aspires to create or maintain. These associations represent what the brand stands for and imply a promise to customers from the organisation members. Aaker, 1996 Brand identity is the way a company aims to identify or position itself or its product or service. Kotler et al, 1999 Brand identity is the first thing that a customer experience and plays a major role in getting a sustainable competitive advantage in the market. Brand attributes are is a bag of features that shows the personality of a brand and these attributes help to create brand identity. Brand identity is supported by emotional and unique elements and values, serve to distinguish the brand in the market, especially for progressively competitive environments, service organisations and recreational sectors. Brand identity creates a distinct identity that is very hard for the competitors to duplicate. The main elements to build a strong brand identity are human resources, organisational culture, organisational structure, stationary, company cards, company dà ©cor, packing, catalogue, market and innovation etc. Kotler et al, 1999 Brand loyalty Brand loyalty is considered as ultimate reward for a brand as it is another factor which leads a company to get a sustainable competitive advantage. Customers always prefer to buy those brands they are loyalty with, even though that is expensive and have close substitutes in the market. Apples iPod is a product to listen mp3/mp4 music, and the big electronic giants like Sony, Panasonic and so many other companies have same product with same features at the relatively low price than Apples iPod. Majority of the customers buy iPod just because they are loyal with the brand. Brand Equity Brand is a symbol of extremely precious part of legal property, that can control consumer behaviour and it also provides the protection of persistent future revenues to the firm. Brand equity is called the amount that is directly or indirectly accrues by these various benefits. Kapferer, 2005; keller, 2003 Companies invest huge amount of money to develop brand equity. Brands with high equity win the space in the market because of the uniqueness, reliable services and continuous and effective relationship with the customers. Stronger brand image takes a company to financial advantage through the brand equity. Brand equity leads a company to charge perineum prices for the product to raise their profit margin.

The Ocean Environment Essay examples -- Marine Environment Essays

Ocean Environment The sea is the most obvious feature of the earth's surface. Approximately seventy percent of this surface is covered by water, in one way or another. Beneath this water are the familiar sands of the beaches, bottoms of bays, and the inshore ocean. Farther offshore this water covers an amazing submarine topography of underwater canyons, trenches, mountains, and plains. Unlike the continents, which are physically separated from one another, the oceans are continuous and interconnected. Since the "world ocean is continuous"(M.J. Keen) it has similar characteristics throughout. In the early 1870s oceanographers collected seawater samples from all of the seas of the world at a variety of depths. When analyzed, the samples were found to have quite similar characteristics. These findings convinced many that a method of study was needed. The study of oceans was named oceanography. Density, salinity, and temperature are very important concepts in the study of oceanography. The salinity and temperature of the water influence its density, and the differences in density are the major factor in understanding the formation of currents and the positions of water masses in the sea. In addition, temperature and salinity play major roles in influencing the distribution of plants and animals. The sediments of the sea floor may be divided into lithogenous, hydrogenous, biogenous, and cosmogenous sediments. Lithogenous sediments are the major sediments on the ocean floor. They are derived from the chemical and mechanical weathering of rocks. Biogenous sediments are composed primarily of the protective outter covering of small marine animals and plants. If these remains comprise at least thirty percent of the sediment it is called an "ooze". "Oozes" were named for the types of organisms that formed them. Hydrogenous sediments form as a result of the chemical reactions that occur in the seawater. These reactions result in the formation of small particles, which are deposited on the sea floor. Currents move these particles and cause them to collide with the other particles. If many of these collisions occur they may form nodules. Nodules are found on some portions of the deep-sea floor. The sediment type frequently determines the type of organ... ...discarge of oil from ships, and the development of emergency response systems to oil pollution accidents have contributed to the decline of ship-based souces of oil pollution over the last two decades. The moratorium on dumping of radioactive waste at sea under the London Dumping Convention also represents another response to concerns about the risks posed by such diposal. Some regions have concluded agreement which ban dumping of any radioactive waste at sea. In the Mediterranean and Red Sea, all discharge of oily wasted from ships is also banned. The differences between terrestial regions are well known. Less well known are the features that distingush the Atlantic from the Pacific Ocean, or the coast of South America from those of Southern Africa. Regardless of this, the various regions of the world's oceans are all affected by human activity, with pollution and harvesting of resouces of resouces being common to all seas and oceans. The various marine resources, as well as the extent of human impacts on them, are examined region by region, illustrating hos stresses on the marine environmet treatened the very resistance of some habitats and species.

The Effects of Smoking Cigarettes Essay -- Cause Effect Research Ciga

The Effects of Smoking Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smoking cigarettes damage the body in a number of different ways. Over several years, the American Council on Science and Health and many others have documented the effects of smoking. Everyone knows that it is bad for you, but not many know how it affects the body. There are many myths about smoking, which mainly occur with all of the teens that are smoking. Most teens don’t know that the effects of smoking are mostly permanent. They think that they can smoke for a few years and then quit without suffering any long-term effects. This is most worrying to me, because the recent finding, reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), claims that teen smoking rates have increased by nearly a third within the last six years. Teen smokers who believe that all of the health hazards will go away when they quit, usually have an â€Å"I can always quit tomorrow, or the next week, month or year† mentality. They feel as if they can walk away from smoking with no long term effects, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The quitting success rates of teenagers is also very low. Less than 16% of the 633 teen smokers in a study were able to kick the habit. Most teens report that they want to quit but are unable to do so, says the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Teen smokers quickly become addicted to nicotine and when trying to fight the addiction, experience high relapse and withdrawal symptoms. Of the 46 million smokers in the United States, 34 percent try to quit each year, but less than 10 percent succeed. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. It accounts for almost 500,000 deaths per year, or one in every five deaths. Smoking also contributes to a breathtaking amount of diseases which includes coronary heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral vascular disease, peptic ulcer disease, and many types of cancer. Irreversible Health Effects   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With smoking, the reversibility of health effects is influenced by many factors. For one, the amount of smoking exposure (number of cigarettes per day and the duration of smoking). The presence of other diseases already in the body, genetics and even nutritional factors enter into the equation. Quitting brings benefits no matter what age. It is a fact that quitting prolong... ...se and disability. Smokers should not believe that they can smoke safely for 10-15 years, then become of the lucky few who do quit, and then believe that they are healthy and risk free, as if they had never smoked at all. They’re at risk for many irreversible diseases and health issues. The next time someone asks you if you want to â€Å"light up,† remember: Only 20% of smokers who try to quit are successful on a long term basis; for every four of those who take up smoking, the very decision to begin itself is irreversible. Works Cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What the Label Doesn‘t Tell You. 1998;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pgs. 47, 386-389 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reducing the Health Consequences of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smoking: 25 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  U.S. Public Health Service; 1989 Seddon JM, Willit WC, Speizer FE, Hankinson SE. A Prospective Study of Cigarette   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smoking and Age Related Macular Degeneration in Women. 1996;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pg. 276 Christen WG, Glynn RJ, Manson LE, Ajani UA, Buring JE. A Prospective Study of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cigarette Smoking and Risk of Age Related Macular Degeneration in Men. 1996;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pg. 276

schwarzenegger and fiscal policy Essay -- essays research papers

California’s Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, outlined a budget proposal January 9 that constitutes a massive assault on health, education and other social service programs upon which millions of people in the state rely. The $99 billion budget is aimed at eliminating a $14.3 billion gap between expected tax revenues and expenditures. It will include $4.6 billion in cuts, $1 billion in fund shifts from gasoline taxes (by postponing road construction projects) and an additional $2 billion reduction in education spending. In addition, the budget mandates a $729 million cut from higher education and a $165 million reduction from child-care programs for school goers. The budget also forces state employees to pay an additional five percent of their wages into their pensions, to pay off state borrowing. Nearly one-tenth of the state budget gap will be shifted to local governments, as $1.3 billion in property taxes due to cities and counties will be siphoned off to the state. There will also be a severe reduction in health and welfare services, in a state where six million residents have no health insurance and 60 hospitals have shut over the last decade. Administration officials admit that more than 110,000 poor Californians will lose health insurance due to the cuts, which include $880 million from Medi-Cal and $10 million from public health services. The state’s welfare program for mothers with dependent children—Cal-Works—will lose $790 million, while $126 million will be slashed from in-home services, $134 million from Supplemental Income payments and an additional $800 million from other health services. It is hard to exaggerate the human impact of the proposed budget. Counties, already strapped for cash, will be forced to lay off thousands of employees. The budget will reduce public assistance benefits for 481,000 poor families, including childcare services, while stiffening work requirements. Enrollment for the state universities will be capped and those that enter will face increasing costs and fewer and smaller grants. Health services for the young and poor will be capped. Programs will be curtailed at youth correctional facilities. Under conditions in which 1.13 million people are unemployed in the state and a record number of families have been dropped from employer-provided health insurance, cities and counties will be forced to engage in y... ... to stave off even greater cuts. Several other unions are also negotiating concessions with the governor. During last summer’s recall campaign Schwarzenegger concealed from the public the type of measures he would take if he reached the governor’s mansion. Instead he promised to eliminate the deficit by auditing the government and finding waste. While giving no specifics about his program he suggested he would not cut education or basic services for the poor. The news media also concealed this reality and gave its full support to the recall election and Schwarzenegger’s candidacy, which it generally hailed. The Socialist Equality Party opposed the recall campaign as an attempt by the Republican Party to subvert democratic processes and impose a right-wing agenda rejected by the voters less than a year before. The SEP ran its own candidate in the recall campaign, John Christopher Burton, to present a socialist alternative for working people. The SEP campaign warned that whether Davis or Schwarzenegger prevailed, the working class would face drastic attacks on jobs, living standards and public services. This warning is now being confirmed in the actions of both big business parties.

Middle East Colonization

In the early days of Western Civilization, imperialism and colonization was a primary means of economic and sphere of influence expansion. That is, a country such as France, Belgium or Great Britain would expand their empire by marching their armies into smaller and less powerful nations and conquer. After conquering the nation, the sovereign government would become a subject of the colonizer and the colonizing nation would then appropriate the resources of the dominated country in order to enrich the economy of the colonizer as well as providing further infrastructure for further expansion. It is no surprise that the European powers found the Middle East to be an area of the world that was a prime target for colonization. In addition to the incredible oil reserves, the Middle East also had a host of other natural resources and export materials that proved quite tempting. Actually, very little temptation was required as numerous countries set about incursions into the Middle East to acquire territory and resources. In many instances, whether it be during the Crusades or during more modern situations such as the French-Algerian War, these colonial conquests would lead to incredible unrest, fighting and instability in the region. What events were the inciting incidents of the colonization of the Middle East? There were several including France (under Napoleon) invading Egypt in the late 1700’s, an incursion that is considered the first European campaign of colonization of the Middle East by a European power. Of course, further incursions by European nations, particularly the British Empire, would perpetuate into the region of the Middle East and North Africa. This, of course, lead to violent suppression of the indigenous people as well  as eventual colonial uprisings over the year and, oftentimes, these uprisings would become quite bloody and violent. Eventually, the entirety of the Middle East and North Africa fell under the control of the European nations. The land and resources of the indigenous peoples were appropriated in a violent fashion. In some instances, bloody wars of conquest would carry on for years and, even after their conclusion, insurgent violence would perpetually continue.Because of this, the image of the European powers by those people who inhabited the regions of the Middle East was generally highly negative. This should come as no surprise as the presence of a foreign military power in the midst of what was once a sovereign territory alone would give rise to negative images. When this is coupled with the fact that the military powers would instill puppet and client governments into the territory in order to suppress the independence of the people whose land has been occupied, it is understandable that a great deal of resentment towards the foreigners would develop. This becomes even more complicated as the military invader starts to procure the natural resources of the indigenous people in order to feed the economy of the foreign power. In other words, the wealth derived from the natural resources of the colonized territory becomes the booty of the invader. Because of this, the local economy collapses and the quality of living takes a huge nosedive. Poverty and pestilence sets in and there is  little that the indigenous people can do to reverse such a situation. In the Middle East (as well as elsewhere in the world) the need to overthrow the foreign colonists became a tremendous priority. Numerous revolutionary movements started with the primary goal of removing the foreigners from the land.   From this scenario, there developed perpetual problems between the people of the Middle East and those who live in the Western World, problems that have never been resolved to this day. What drove the Europeans to push such a brutal campaign? To a great degree, the motivating factor was a sense of arrogance and superiority that justified the conquest. Often, the dogmatic belief of â€Å"civilizing† an underdeveloped world provided a moral grounding in the obvious invasion and suppression of a body of people. This is exactly what occurred in the Middle East during the early days of colonization and even exists to a certain degree to this very day. To say that great resent built in the Middle East towards European nations would be a dramatic understatement. This resentment festered throughout the 18th, 19th and early 20th Century and yielded a great number of colonial rebellions designed to remove the imperial invaders. While the nations of the Middle East eventually all achieved independence, resentment remained. The current situation of Europe’s involvement in the Middle East oil trade, in fact, still stokes the fires to this day.